Making the first cosplay costume and going to first cosplay is so exciting, but also it is a great source of anxiety and pulls so many questions: How will people react? What if my costume falls apart? Will there be place to change? How will I get there with all the makeup and props and shit?
And most important: What should I cosplay?

For first dip in to the deep, glittery ocean of possibilities that is cosplay it is recommended to do “closet cosplay”, making a character from things everybody
has lying around the house. This is a great, fun way to start cosplaying, not
much investment, money or time wise but can look great and people will give you
great advice and feedback if you are a beginner. Newer be afraid to ask, cosplayers are generally a friendly bunch.

First, find a character you love and relate to, see if you can pull the making of the costume off, make a list of what you will need for costume, try makeup at least one week before so you will have time to practice it and how will it look on photos and how many hours can it stay on.
If having troubles with deciding which of countless characters for closet cosplay to choose, here are some quick and fun ideas:

Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World if punk outfit is your style , Frankie from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends if you are a bit laid back and like to be comfy, or Celine from Underworld if having a lot of goth clothes already laying around.

If something a bit more complicated is a wish, make sure having help from friends. It is much more fun to make costumes in good company and it is done faster too.
Here are some not so complicated ideas you can pull off by yourself or with some help from friends, it will require some more time but same rule apply : Try absolutely everything in advance, your costume must be finished, tried out an photographed at least one week before cosplay event so you will have time to fix things you are not happy with.

Punisher, Adventure Time, Sailor Moon or classic Disney characters.
Or opting for some gender-bender easy cosplay like:
Thor, Loki Or Super Mario

Whatever the cosplay, it is important to go out, be brave and have fun.